LHS Football Game Coverage Moves from Radio to Webcast

Published: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 12:11 a.m.

Change can be hard to accept, especially when it breaks tradition.

For many Lakeland football fans, listening to Dreadnaught games on WLKF 1430-AM every Friday night has been a tradition for decades. So many of them were shocked last week when they couldn't find the Kickoff Classic game against Lake Gibson on their radio dials.

But what they didn't know was that a live webcast of the game was being streamed on LakelandFootball.com, and that's the way it will be every week from now on. All you have to do is click on "Watch Live."

"It's really simple," said Sid Kimbrell, president of the Century Club. "I understand that they listened to it for years, but basically they just need to adapt."

Many surprised fans have been voicing their displeasure, and Kimbrell said he and the booster club have been inundated with calls.

"We knew it was going to upset people, but we just think this is best for us all around," Kimbrell said.

The main reason behind the change was financial. Kimbrell said it costs the booster club $5,000 per year to broadcast the game on the radio.

The webcast costs just $900.

Every situation is different, as is the case with the Kathleen radio broadcasts on WWAB 1330-AM. Kathleen graduate Reece King is entering his 13th year providing color commentary for the Red Devils and works at the radio station along with Mike Jenkins, who has been doing play-by-play for 20 years.

"He's a humble volunteer," King said of Jenkins.

King said the total package of Friday night games is $6,000, and he gets the money from various sponsors during the summer.

"We have about 12 sponsors, four for Friday night, which is what we call prime time," King said.

It's not too difficult to find fans and merchants willing to donate.

"Polk County people give thousands of dollars a year," King said.

The proceeds go to the two staff members at the station who help broadcast the games.

As for Lakeland, Kimbrell said the cost of buying time on the radio station was too much in addition to funding team meals and the annual awards banquet.

They moved forward with the plan to stream the games online after a successful experiment last year during the George Jenkins game.

"I was on a cruise and watched it," Kimbrell said. "One of the first games I missed in 30-something years."

Michael Barrett, founder and creative director of Barrett Creative, is in charge of the production. He said that even without a formal announcement, the preseason webcast had nearly 1,000 hits.

"The test run went flawless," Barrett said. "Actually, we just did a simple production, one camera."

Besides costing 80 percent less to put on, the webcast is accessible all over the world. Alumni and out-of-state relatives can now watch and listen to the Dreadnaughts on their computers and mobile devices.

At some point, Kimbrell and Barrett said they hope to make the game webcast interactive, with fans Skyping in live during the game.

The pregame show for Friday night's opener against Treasure Coast starts at 6:30.

"We're trying to take baby steps right now," Barrett said. "This game Friday night is going to be a lot more of a polished show."

<p>Change can be hard to accept, especially when it breaks tradition.</p><p>For many Lakeland football fans, listening to Dreadnaught games on WLKF 1430-AM every Friday night has been a tradition for decades. So many of them were shocked last week when they couldn't find the Kickoff Classic game against Lake Gibson on their radio dials.</p><p>But what they didn't know was that a live webcast of the game was being streamed on LakelandFootball.com, and that's the way it will be every week from now on. All you have to do is click on "Watch Live."</p><p>"It's really simple," said Sid Kimbrell, president of the Century Club. "I understand that they listened to it for years, but basically they just need to adapt."</p><p>Many surprised fans have been voicing their displeasure, and Kimbrell said he and the booster club have been inundated with calls.</p><p>"We knew it was going to upset people, but we just think this is best for us all around," Kimbrell said. </p><p>The main reason behind the change was financial. Kimbrell said it costs the booster club $5,000 per year to broadcast the game on the radio. </p><p>The webcast costs just $900.</p><p>Every situation is different, as is the case with the Kathleen radio broadcasts on WWAB 1330-AM. Kathleen graduate Reece King is entering his 13th year providing color commentary for the Red Devils and works at the radio station along with Mike Jenkins, who has been doing play-by-play for 20 years.</p><p>"He's a humble volunteer," King said of Jenkins.</p><p>King said the total package of Friday night games is $6,000, and he gets the money from various sponsors during the summer.</p><p>"We have about 12 sponsors, four for Friday night, which is what we call prime time," King said.</p><p>It's not too difficult to find fans and merchants willing to donate.</p><p>"Polk County people give thousands of dollars a year," King said. </p><p>The proceeds go to the two staff members at the station who help broadcast the games.</p><p>As for Lakeland, Kimbrell said the cost of buying time on the radio station was too much in addition to funding team meals and the annual awards banquet. </p><p>They moved forward with the plan to stream the games online after a successful experiment last year during the George Jenkins game.</p><p>"I was on a cruise and watched it," Kimbrell said. "One of the first games I missed in 30-something years."</p><p>Michael Barrett, founder and creative director of Barrett Creative, is in charge of the production. He said that even without a formal announcement, the preseason webcast had nearly 1,000 hits.</p><p>"The test run went flawless," Barrett said. "Actually, we just did a simple production, one camera."</p><p>Besides costing 80 percent less to put on, the webcast is accessible all over the world. Alumni and out-of-state relatives can now watch and listen to the Dreadnaughts on their computers and mobile devices.</p><p>At some point, Kimbrell and Barrett said they hope to make the game webcast interactive, with fans Skyping in live during the game.</p><p>The pregame show for Friday night's opener against Treasure Coast starts at 6:30.</p><p>"We're trying to take baby steps right now," Barrett said. "This game Friday night is going to be a lot more of a polished show."</p>